The sorting was torturously slow, now that Annabeth had gone already. She watched everyone else be sorted when at last came, "GRACE, THALIA!" Thalia exhaled loudly. She strode over and plopped the hat on her head.

>>>•Thalia•<<<

Thalia placed the hat on her head and it drooped below her eyes.

"Hello, daughter of Zeus, lieutenant of Artemis."

Are you talking to me out loud or telepathically?

"Telepathically, no one needs to hear this. Back to business— I'm going to go through your memory so that I can place you in the correct house."

Oh, nonono. This is an invasion of privacy. I have my right of privacy! I plead the fifth!

"News flash, kid, we're not in America, you can't plead the fifth. And I promise it will be fast. No one else ever knows anything."

Fine, Thalia said reluctantly. Memories of Jason flooded in, as well as lots of others. Pine trees, Annabeth, wars, Luke, Artemis, they all jumbled together.

"LOL, Pinecone face! Real original."

LOL? You're a hat!

"So that means I can't use slang?"

Just sort me!

"Right. There is no doubt, you definitely belong in GRYFFINDOR!"

>>>•Annabeth•<<<

Like Annabeth and Nico, the hat screamed "GRYFFINDOR!" After a very long time. No doubt they were having a lovely conversation.

Next was "GRANGER, HERMIONE," also a Gryffindor. Hermione looked extremely happy and ran over to across from Annabeth. They instantly continued their discussion about London and magic and what classes sounded interesting, when suddenly, "JACKSON, PERSEUS!"

>>>•Percy•<<<

Percy placed the hat on his head.

"Before you say anything, yes I am talking to you in your head. Now be quiet while I look through your memories." The hat snapped.

Wow, someone's grumpy, Percy observed.

"Are you kidding me? I'm already stressed and I'm hardly halfway through the alphabet! Now shut up!"

Percy instantly re-lived every moment of his life. Bullies and blowing up schools. Going to Camp Half-Blood. Annabeth. Quests. More Quests. The Titan war. Annabeth. Camp Jupiter. The Giant war. Then—

"GOOD LORD, ANOTHER ONE? HOW MANY OF YOU—"

GODS, YOU HAD TO SHOW ME THAT AGAIN?

"Hey, hey, it's okay," the hat said frantically. "Deep breaths, deep breaths. Think of your Wise Girl. And I am terribly sorry, but seriously? Wise Girl? Couldn't you come up with a better nickname?"

Hey, I thought it was good!

"Whatever, Percy. Though your fatal flaw is loyalty and Hufflepuff are loyal, it's obvious you belong in GRYFFINDOR!"

>>>•Annabeth's POV•<<<

The hat took about a minute and shouted, as Annabeth expected, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Percy's expression was one of pure happiness, and Annabeth was overjoyed to be with him. He sat on her other side and was about to give her a kiss when she stopped him.

"Seaweed brain, we look eleven!" Annabeth pressed a finger to his lips.

Percy frowned. "You're right. Should we not tell anyone we're together then? I mean I love you," he added hastily when Annabeth looked hurt. "It's just, come on. I don't think it would be appropriate to be as close as we are at this age."

Annabeth laughed. "You're right. But later we're 'getting together'."

Suddenly, "POTTER, HARRY!" Whispers broke out from almost everyone except the demigods.

"Potter?"

"THE Harry Potter?"

Harry looked uncomfortable as the hat slipped over his head. Annabeth felt sorry for him. She thought of Piper and how she hated too much attention, even being a child of Aphrodite and all.

A minute later, the hat cried "GRYFFINDOR!" Harry joined them at the table, shaky and pale. The poor guy must've been so nervous.

Annabeth was deep in conversation with Hermione. That girl was amazing. She was super smart for not being a child of Athena, and was seeking for knowledge just like Annabeth. Hermione was like Annabeth, just younger, safer, and perhaps not as smart. Then again, Annabeth was really seventeen and Hermione was eleven.

Ron joined their table a few minutes later, looking just as nervous as Harry. Annabeth wondered how easy their life must be, if they were nervous about something as simple as this. The thought made her angry.

"So, how did you guys meet?" Harry interrupted Annabeth's thoughts.

The other demigods looked at Annabeth.

"Well..." Annabeth looked at Percy, Nico and Thalia. "Percy, Thalia, and Nico are. . . cousins. I— I met them at this camp we go to every summer." Annabeth thought this would be better than saying Percy was technically her uncle if she explained everything, which she couldn't. It was weird. Plus, if she said they were related, they wouldn't be able to be together romantically. It would be even weirder.

"Cousins?" Ron asked. "I mean, I can kind of see Thalia and Nico. But Percy—" he stopped, noticing the glare the demigods were giving him. "I mean, of course you're cousins. What else?" Ron casually picked at a hangnail.

"To be fair, I look nothing like Dudley," Harry added.

A man with a long silver beard and glasses stood up. He looked like he'd lived as long as Chiron. "Welcome to Hogwarts! Now..." Annabeth soaked in every word, noticing happily that Hermione was doing the same. "The third floor corridor is off limits to anyone who wishes to die a very painful death," the man said very seriously.

Harry let out a small chuckle, but he was the only one who did. Everyone else's expressions were stony. The demigods glanced at each other. Painful death? As if they haven't heard that a bajillion times. Annabeth thought about her quest in Rome and figured the third floor corridor couldn't be that bad. Maybe a giant Venus fly trap that ate you or something.

Eventually, to the relief of Percy, the food came as magically as at Camp Half Blood. They just appeared on the platters in front of them. Percy, Nico, and Ron began to fill their plates with every food there was.

"Boys," Thalia muttered, before filling her own plate with nearly as much.

Damn, Hogwarts could cook. Annabeth was so used to the magic plates at Camp Half-Blood that she almost forgot what freshly made food tasted like.

In what seemed like no time at all, they were done with dinner, out the door, and in the gold and red, warm, comforting Gryffindor common room. Annabeth yawned. This quest was going to be amazing.